Where Knowledge Rules

Sports & Recreation:

Basketball

Get a Widget for this title

NCAA: Why March Madness is such a big deal

The email attachments are flying back and forth. If you haven't received yours yet, you begin frantically contacting your friends and co-workers, searching for someone to send it along. We print out the brackets and begin to make our choices. What could all this excitement possibly be about? March Madness, of course. I've noticed that even those who have never watched a basketball game in their lives are still seen at their desks making their picks.

In my opinion, there are three types of decision makers when it comes to deciding who will win each game in the tournament. First, there are those who are very serious. It's actually a bit of a science to them. They have faithfully followed college basketball through the season. They know who the stars are and which teams have the greatest potential. The statistics are pulled out and teams are compared. The next group doesn't want to appear to be totally uneducated. For them, the best choice is to take the brackets home and ask their significant other to help them with this important decision process. The hope is that two minds can make better decisions than just one. The last group is just really in it for the fun. They sit at their desk and begin eeny, meeny, miny, moe for each of the games. The sad thing is that this group of people is often victorious in their choices. The reason they are successful is one of the reasons that March Madness is so much fun.

The tournament begins with 64 teams matched according to their ranking. The odds are certainly against the underdog. It's single elimination and that adds to the excitement. The lowest ranked teams are matched against the highest and the games begin. In the beginning, it's non-stop basketball. You can watch multiple games at once and you can watch all day. Your brackets are always close by so you can track the winners and the losers. One upset, and they do happen, and your bracket can be totally blown to pieces. For me, I count on the occasional upset because I always pick one of the underdogs to make it to the Sweet Sixteen or the Elite Eight.

My employer would not be happy to learn this, but we keep a television on for the first week of the tournament. We try not to openly stop and watch, but instead just glance at the scores as we pass by. It is said to be one of the biggest disruptions in business. You don't need a television to keep up with the games because the scores are easily obtained on the internet. I think the biggest waste of time is found in the


Below are the top articles rated and ranked by Helium members on:

NCAA: Why March Madness is such a big deal

  • 1 of 27

    by Nathan Halfpenny

    March Madness; that pretty much sums it up. The greatest tournament in sports doesn't need to be defended or justified

    read more

  • 2 of 27

    by Juan Leer

    March Madness is such a big deal because it's the greatest sporting event on Earth. It's a bad cliche, but anything can

    read more

  • 3 of 27

    by Holly Freeland

    March Madness is the epitome of college sports and being a fan at its greatest. While other sports have their playoffs and

    read more

  • 4 of 27

    by Max White

    The email attachments are flying back and forth. If you haven't received yours yet, you begin frantically contacting your

    read more

  • 5 of 27

    by James Madalinsky

    Finally, March is here and with that let the office pools, Cinderella stories, and fan craziness begin. Like no other event

    read more

View All Articles on:
NCAA: Why March Madness is such a big deal

Add your voice

Know something about NCAA: Why March Madness is such a big deal?
We want to hear your view. Write_penWrite now!

Helium Debate

Cast your vote!

Are UConn coaches paid what they are worth?

Click for your side.

124396

Featured Partner

E Square

E Square has partnered with Helium, giving you the chance to write for a cause. Browse E Square's featured title...more

What is Helium? | Buy Web Content | Contact Us | Privacy | User agreement | DMCA | User Tools | Help | Community | Helium’s Official Blog | Link to Helium

Helium, Inc.
200 Brickstone Square Andover, MA 01810 USA